


Blizzards and Betrayal

by The_power_of_alchemy



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Blizzards & Snowstorms, Hurt No Comfort, Hypothermia, Temporary Amnesia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:08:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23668912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_power_of_alchemy/pseuds/The_power_of_alchemy
Summary: Traveling in a blizzard can be dangerous. What if Varian had gotten lost when he tried returning home after being refused help from Rapunzel?
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel, Rapunzel & Varian (Disney)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 79





	Blizzards and Betrayal

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! 
> 
> This is just a one-shot I had stowed away from a while ago. I thought, why not post it and see what happens?

“Varian, what’s wrong?” Rapunzel asked after pulling him aside from the audience in the other room. 

“Please, please the  _ rocks.  _ They’re-they’re encasing my dad.” Varian begged.

“ _ Encasing? _ Wha- what are you saying?” Rapunzel asked, trying to piece together what the pleading boy was trying to suggest.

“Co-come see for yourself!” He replied as he turned to leave, expecting Rapunzel to follow. “You can  _ help! _ I ju--I  _ know  _ you can, you have a  _ connection  _ to these rocks-” 

“Varian, it’s a state of  _ emergency  _ here.” She cut him off. Varian stopped walking away to face her again. “I’m sorry, I.. I-I can’t help you.” She said apologetically. “Not right now.”

“No! No no no no!” He cried as he ran back to Rapunzel, a look of pure dread and terror in his eyes. “Listen to me! My dad doesn’t have much time, you are the  _ only  _ one that can help! Rapunzel  _ please!”  _ He pleaded, clasping his hands together.

Nigel walked up to the two, interrupting them. 

“Your Majesty,  _ please _ , whatever the boy’s problem, it must be _ set aside!”  _ He barked. “The storm is getting stronger by the  _ second! _ ”

Varian shook his head desperately, grabbing the Princess by the shoulders in an attempt to get through to her. Nigel signaled for the guards to come and take him.

“No! No no no,  _ please! _ Please, Princess y-you...wha…” He said, stumbling for words. “You promised you’d help me! You  _ promised! _ ”

The guards quickly came over and aggressively took Varian by the arms.

“Rapunzel! Gah!” He cried as the guards forcefully dragged him away from Rapunzel.

“Princess! My dad needs help!” He shouted, the guards pulling him further and further away.

“No! Don’t hurt him!” Rapunzel called to the guards, who were being everything but careful with the small boy. 

“Rapunzel! You promised! You  _ promised!! _ ” He cried as he turned the corner, disappearing out of Rapunzel’s sight. His desperate cries echoing through the halls. 

And Rapunzel was left standing there alone.    
  


-

“Get lost kid.” The guard snarled as he threw Varian to the snow-covered ground. 

He landed in the snow with a thud, and for a moment, he just sat there, watching the guards as they marched back to the castle. He couldn’t believe the events that had just unfolded before him. 

He felt his cheeks start to burn as anger started to build inside him. Rapunzel had  _ promised  _ to help him, but when he really, truly,  _ desperately  _ needed it, she had other things to attend to. 

How  _ convenient. _

Varian stood up quickly, brushing the snow off of his clothes.

_ “Maybe my dad can still be saved. I can..I can figure something out. There’s still time, I just need to get back home.  _ Now.” Varian thought to himself as he started trudging back toward Old Corona. 

If Varian was being honest, he was completely  _ terrified  _ of what he would find when he got back to his house. He hadn’t had any time to analyze the amber.

No, he had been a little preoccupied with the horrifying sight of his last remaining family member being consumed by his own creation…

“ _ No. It’s not my fault. It’s not...I was... misled. Deceived. Betrayed. By the one person I thought I could trust.”  _

Varian’s blinding anger was overcoming his fear, and it was just enough to force him forward, fighting the raging winds of the growing blizzard. 

Getting to the palace had been rough, but something told Varian getting back was going to be much harder. He could hardly see where he was going, and he stumbled forward multiple times. 

He had been walking for hours, he had to be close by now...right?

“ _ I’m almost there. I’ve got to be.” _ He thought. He just had to make this next right...or was it left? He couldn’t tell where he was, or where he had been. Everything around him looked the same, he couldn’t see more than three feet in front of him. 

Varian started feeling extremely tired. He had slowed down quite a bit, and was shivering violently. He compelled himself forward, making himself continue. 

“ _ I’m coming dad. I’ll get you help, I’ll think of s-something, I just..I just--” _

Varian stumbled forward, falling into the snow once again. But this time, he didn’t get up. He  _ couldn’t  _ get up. So he just laid there, helpless.

His eyelids started closing slowly, feeling extremely heavy. The only thing he could think before he drifted off into sleep was:

“ _ I promise, dad. I’m coming.”  _

-

“I don’t know, Eugene. He was so desperate. I don’t even know what he was trying to tell me, he was so panicked and…” Rapunzel made quick circular motions with her hands. “Just..all over the place.” 

“Well, Sunshine, it sounds like he really needed your help.” Eugene sighed. “But you had no other choice. You did the right thing, you saved the kingdom by going down into that..that Demonitose-”

“Demanitus.” Rapunzel chuckled.

“Gesundheit. But now, you can go check on him. See what it was that had him so worked up.” Eugene offered. 

“Yeah.” Rapunzel said. “Yeah, I think I’ll do that. Do you want to come?” She asked, hopeful for the company.

“I’d love to, Blondie, but someone needs to stay here and do a little damage control. Citizens are still a little shaken up from everything that happened. You go, I’ll take care of it.” Eugene said lovingly, gently stroking Rapunzel’s hair. 

“Thanks, Eugene. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Rapunzel answered. 

And with that, Rapunzel was gone.

-

Varian’s eyes fluttered open to find that he was lying in mud. Confused, he tried sitting up, but he immediately regretted it. 

He felt intensely nauseous, and he had to fight the urge to empty what little food he had in his stomach onto the ground next to him. 

How did he get here? Why was he outside? He couldn’t recall going outside…

“Varian!”

Varian jumped at the sound of his name. He whipped his head around to face whoever called him. 

It was Rapunzel, and she was rushing over to meet him. 

“Varian! What are you doing on the ground? You’re covered in mud!” She asked as he tried helping him up.

“Oh my gosh, Varian! You’re  _ freezing! _ Why did you try walking home in a  _ blizzard? _ ” Rapunzel gasped.

“I don’t...wait. I did? I don’t remember...I jus-how?” Varian stuttered, struggling to remember the events.

“You must’ve left after the guards escorted you out of the palace...Varian that was the  _ worst _ of the storm! You should’ve stayed on the mainland until it was over!” Rapunzel lectured.

“But...I don’t...Rapunzel I don’t feel great…” Varian tried, about to stumble forward again.

“Oh gosh. Ohh no. Uh...I need to get you somewhere warm. Who  _ knows _ how long you’ve been out here.” Rapunzel said quickly as she scooped the very light boy into her arms. 

“Mmkay.” Was all Varian said in response, who was threatening to fall asleep again.

“Hold on Varian. It’ll be okay,  _ please  _ don’t fall asleep, you’ll be home soon.” Rapunzel tried comforting.

Rapunzel rushed through town, hurriedly trying to get to Varian’s house. 

Once she got there, she set Varian down on the couch in their living room, and quickly went to start a fire in the fireplace. Once that was done, she moved Varian closer to the fire, trying to warm him up. She covered the boy in blankets, sitting closely next to him, trying to offer some of her own body heat. 

Varian’s eyes were closed, but he was still conscious. Rapunzel raised her hand to his neck, trying to find his pulse. It was weak, but it seemed to be growing stronger. Rapunzel sighed a breath of relief. It seemed he was going to be okay. She still needed to get a medic here though, to make sure he was in the clear for good. 

“Hey, Varian? I’m going to go and get a doctor, do you think you’ll be okay here for a bit?” Rapunzel asked.

“Mm. Yeah.” Varian replied, voice barely a whisper.

“Okay. Stay here. I’ll be back soon.” She said as she got up and left.

-

“Yup. That’s hypothermia all right.” The doctor, Marie, had said after she finished examining a sleeping Varian. 

“Is he going to be okay?” Rapunzel asked, a concerned look on her face.

“Yes, he should be. You did good, getting him somewhere warm as soon as you found him. He’ll be a little disoriented, confused maybe. But other than that he should be fine soon.” She replied as she took a warm rag off of Varian’s forehead. 

Rapunzel didn’t respond. She just sat next to Varian and stroked his hair. He mumbled something and seemed to be stirring.

“I’m heading off. Let me know immediately if something happens.” Marie said after she had packed up her supplies in a small satchel. 

“I will. Thank you.” Rapunzel whispered. 

“Mmph. The rocks...not going away…” Varian muttered before opening his eyes. 

“Wha..?” He asked, looking lost and confused.

“Hey Varian. How are you feeling?” Rapunzel spoke softly.

“Tired.” He responded. “What happened?”

“You got hypothermia from trying to get home in a blizzard. Not the best idea, Varian.” 

“I did? I don’t remember that.” Varian said, looking deep in thought.

Rapunzel thought for a moment. “Varian, what’s the last thing you  _ do _ remember?” She said slowly.

“Um...Oh! I was doing an experiment on the rocks, trying to figure out a way to get rid of them. But it didn’t work how I wanted it too, it actually caught on  _ fire _ and when I put a blanket over it, it  _ explo- _ ”

“Okay, okay. So...you don’t remember coming to the palace?” Rapunzel questioned.

“Coming to the palace? Yeah, I came with my dad to-”

“No, after that. You came by yourself.” Rapunzel explained.

“I..what? No I..I don’t remember that.” Varian said, obviously confused. 

“Memory loss. Is that a symptom of Hypothermia? I should’ve asked the doctor when she was here.” Rapunzel stated.

“Speaking of coming to the castle earlier, where’s my dad?” Varian asked innocently.

“Uh...I don’t know. That’s why you came to the palace.”

“W..what do you mean? Why would I-?” Varian interrogated. His expression changed from confusion to serious. “Rapunzel why  _ exactly _ did I come see you at the castle?” 

“I’m not completely sure, Varian. You were talking so fast, and I couldn’t really-”

“Rapunzel!” Varian interrupted. “ _ Please _ just tell me.”

Rapunzel hesitated for a moment, staring at Varian sadly. “Varian...I don’t-”

Varian groaned and got up from the couch. “You’re useless.” He said as he started scouring the house for his father. 

“Dad? Dad, where are you?” Varian’s call echoed through the empty house as he moved room to room. 

“Varian, you shouldn’t be up yet, you’re still-” Rapunzel tried, but she got cut off by Varian’s calls. 

Varian stopped looking for a moment to speak to Rapunzel. 

“Are you going to help or are you just going to stand there? I need to find my dad.” He said.

Rapunzel didn’t say anything. Instead, she looked over to the door to Varian’s lab. She felt a pit forming in her stomach. Somehow, she knew the lab was where Varian’s father was. 

Varian’s gaze followed Rapunzel’s, and upon realizing what she was looking at, he took off, through the door and down to his lab. 

“Varian, no! You shouldn’t go-”

But it was too late. All Rapunzel could do was follow Varian into his lab, where his dad awaited to be found. 

Varian sped down the stairs as fast as he could.

“Dad! Are you down here? Da-”

Varian stopped, completely frozen. 

There, in the middle of the room, stood his father, completely encased in a prison of amber. 

Varian’s eyes widened in fear, and panic. He ran up to his father, collapsing on his knees. 

“No! No no! Dad! No,  _ please!  _ Please, daddy,  _ no _ . I can’t.. _.I can’t lose you too... _ ” He sobbed.

Suddenly he remembered everything that happened. The argument, the rocks, his desperate trip to the palace, Rapunzel…

_ Rapunzel. _

Varian heard a quiet gasp from behind him. Rapunzel had just arrived at the scene.

He turned to face The Princess, cheeks flushed with anger.

“ _ You. _ ” He spat with hatred and fear. “ _ This is your fault. _ ”

Rapunzel’s gaze travelled from the horrifying sight of his father to Varian. She was taken aback from his sudden anger.

“What? Varian I-” 

“You  _ promised _ you’d help me! But...but you didn’t! And now... _ look  _ what happened!” Varian yelled, voice breaking.

“I couldn’t leave, Varian! I needed to-”

“You needed  _ what?  _ What  _ exactly _ did you need? Because  _ I  _ needed  _ you _ , Rapunzel. You...you were my  _ friend. _ Now, because of you, I’ve lost  _ the last of my family!” _ Varian cried, hot tears streaming down his face. 

Rapunzel sat in stunned silence, not quite sure what to say. 

“You need to leave,  _ Rapunzel _ .” Varian said her name with so much hate, she winced.

“Go back to the sweet kingdom that you care so much for. That  _ needs  _ you.” Varian spoke softly.

“Varian, we can try to figure something out-” Rapunzel tried.

“ _ GO! _ ” Varian screamed, slamming his fist into a nearby table, causing a beaker to fall onto the floor, shattering. Green liquid spread across the room, burning a hole into the floor.

Rapunzel jumped at Varian’s sudden outburst, but recovered quickly and, with shoulders slumped a bit, she left.

And Varian was left alone with his growing anger. 

**Author's Note:**

> So apparently you can get memory loss with hypothermia. Who knew? 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed, and I’d love to hear what you thought!! Comments are appreciated! <3


End file.
